Apparatus for making fibrous materials



March 6, 1934. E HOFKlNsON 1,949,472.

y APPARATUS FOR MAKING FIBROUS MATERIALS Filed April 5. 1930 2 Sheets-Shea??I 1 March 6, 1934. y HOPKINSON A 1,949,472

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FIBROUS MATERIALS Filed April 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 yg Ww INV NTR Er-mesi iop/(ins 071/ ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MAKING FIBRQUS MATERIALS Application April 5, 1930, Serial No. 441,833

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for obtaining combinations of fibrous material in which the bres are intermingled in all directions and without stratification. More 5 particularly it relates to the production of combinations of fibrous materials wherein the bres are bound together by a binder material such as rubber, which may be applied in the form of latex or other water dispersions of rubber.

l My process brieiiy comprises confining a wet mass of fibrous material which may contain a binder material and any other desired ingredients, compacting the mass by exerting pressure on it in a plurality of directions, and expressing l the excess uid from the mass. If sheet material is'made on an ordinary paper making machine, or if a wet pulp mass is allowed to drain on a foraminous material or is compacted by exerting pressure in one direction as by exerting pressure on a mass against a fixed backing or compressing between parallel platens, a stratication of the finished product will result due to the parallel disposition of the bres in the compressed mass. By exerting pressure on the I wet mass in a plurality of directions, as above described, I prevent any substantial stratification of the fibres and I produce a compressed mass with the libres intermingled in all directions and without stratification.

In the drawings I have shown an apparatus capable of producing the desired results, but it willbe understood that such is exemplary of only one apparatus in which the invention may be carried out and that the specic form of apparatus may diier widely from that illus- I trated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional View of the apparatus in charging position.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the relationship of the parts on the completion of the water expressing operation; and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 is a bed plate; 2 represents the side plates and 3 designates the top cover. The bottom plate 1 may be supported in any desired manner and the top plate 3 may be raised and lowered by any desired means. The top plate 3 and the twoside plates 2 are each provided with a sheet of ilexible material, preferably rubber, 4, secured only at its edge portions in a suitable. manner as by clamping strips 10 secured in corresponding grooves of the top and side plates by screws 11. Each of the side plates 2 and the top plate 3 are provided with uidinlet ports 6, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The two side plates 2j and the bottom plate 1 form a box-like structure whose ends are closed by the end plates 5.

On the bed plate 1 is located a sheet of porous ltering material 7 and a fine meshed wire sheet 8, which serves as supporting and ltering .medium for the batch of wet pulp which is being acted on.

The method of operation is as follows: The parts being in the position shown in Figure 1. the box-like cavity is filled with the desired composition of matter comprising brous material, latex and/or water dispersions of rubber, and any other desired ingredients depending upon the character of the product desired to be obtained. The brous material may be asbestos bre or cellulose or similar fibre. It may be prepared in any desired manner. In the case of cellulose bre, it may have been subjected to a preliminary beating operation and the latex or rubber dispersion may be in any desired form such as a highly iiuid condition with a comparatively low rubber content, or concentrated latex. or ordinary latex or rubber dispersion which has been subjected to a thickening or gelling process. The top plate 3 is then lowered to close the top of the box-like cavity, a tight joint being made by the rubber surfaces 4 on the side plates 55 and cover coming in contact with each other to act as a packing material.

In the drawings, it is designed that the top plate should be raised and lowered by an appropriate piston and cylinder arrangementnot 90 shown in detail. After the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, uid pressure is admitted through the inlet ports 6, causing the rubber sheets 4 to stretch away from their respective backing plates 2, 2, and 3, so that pressure is exerted on three sides of the contained mass of material which results in expressing the fluid from the material through the wire mesh 8 and filtering sheet 7 through the drainage ports 9.

This operation is preferably continued until the major portion of the iuid content of the mass is expressed, leaving a cohering mass of fibers in which the individual fibers are intermingled in substantially all directions with-.- out stratiiication and, the intermingled cohering iibers having a low water content-approximately 270%-is non-flowing and capable of sustaining its compressed shape.

The duid back of the rubber sheets l is then withdrawn to permit the rubber sheets to come back to rst position, leaving the compressed mass of iibrous material occupying the central portion of the box-like structure. The top plate is then raised and one of the end plates removed and the compressed mass of brous material removed or further drying operations.

One important use oi the product thus pro duced is in the preparation oi shoe sole material approximating the iibrous structure ci.' leather. To obtain this result the removed mass maybe subjected to further drying as above described and then cut into sheets either in a longitudinal or cross-sectional direction and the individuel sheets subjected to a relatively high pressure, preferably under the action of heat.

Many widely diderent variations of apparatus may be designed to carry out the desired results. Those illustrated are merely indicative of a simple apparatus byl'twiiich the method can be carried into eect.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to protect by letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus forv compacting a mass ci brous material comprising a closed receptacle having a plurality of walls, at least one wall loaving passages from the? interior of the receptacle to the outside thereof, at least two non-parallel walls having pressure exerting elements capable of simultaneous movement away from said walls toward the interior of the receptacle to exert uniform pressure over the entire contacting surfaces ot the mass.

2. An apparatus for compacting a mass oi brous material comprising a closed receptacle having a plurality of walls, atleast one have ing passages from the interior of the receptacle to the outside thereof, at least two non=parallel walls having resilient pressure exerting elements capable or simultaneous movement away from said walls toward the interior of the receptacle to exert uniform pressure over the entire contacting surfaces of themass.

3. An apparatus for compacting a mas of brous material comprising a closed receptacle having a plurality ot walls, and at least two nonparallel walls having pressure exerting elements capable of simultaneous movement away from said walls. toward the interior oi the receptacle.

e. an apparatus for compacting a mms or 'nbrous material comprising a closed receptacle having a plurality of walls, and atleast two nonparallel walls having resilient pressure exerting elements ycapable of simultaneous movement away from said walls toward the interior ot the reeeptaele.Y

5. An apparatus for compacting a mass of brous materim comprising a closed receptacle having a plurality oi walls, and at least two nonparallel walls having elastic members attached thereto, and means for expanding said elastic members away from said walls into the interior oi the receptacle,

6.1m apparatus for compacting a mass of brous material comprising a closed receptacle having a plurality of walls, at least one wall having passages from the interior of the receptacle to the outside thereof and at least two non-s parallel walls having elastic members attached thereto, and means for expanding said elastic members away from said walls into the interior of the receptacle.

ERNEST HOPmSON.

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